Former French Mission Building HK
The former French Mission Building – L.S Reflective Report
The former French Mission Building has stood on 1 Battery Path since 1917. It has been in government use for decades since it was sold back to the government in 1953, housing the Education Department, the Victoria District Court, the Supreme Court and the Information Service Department successively. Built with red bricks and granite, with a dome and Doric/Ionic styled columns, it is one of the few remaining neo-classical styled buildings in HK. Having a long history of housing courts and government departments, the building has always represented law and order. To Hongkongers, the structure is a figure of solemnity. The building is currently being used as the HK Court of Final Appeal, the highest and most powerful court in HK, where final adjudications on law matters are carried out. As the building’s original appearance was kept and preserved while its function was changed, it is identified as being preserved by the method of rehabilitation. By this method, the building remained in use while its outlook was preserved and maintained. It continued housing government organizations instead of being left aside and deserted. This way, the aesthetic significance remains as there has only been some minor modification made to the original western architecture and it was otherwise well-preserved. In addition, the historic significance was sustained as well because the new functions of the building was adaptive, matching its historic background. Preservation of the building and the economic needs of the government managed to balance since the money used on preservation wouldn’t be wasted on a vacant, unused building. As it stays occupied, the government has one less unresolved concern (a government organization without an office) to address. On the other hand, using the method of rehabilitation may confuse citizen’s knowledge on the building’s history. As the function of the building changes continuously,
The former French Mission Building has stood on 1 Battery Path since 1917. It has been in government use for decades since it was sold back to the government in 1953, housing the Education Department, the Victoria District Court, the Supreme Court and the Information Service Department successively. Built with red bricks and granite, with a dome and Doric/Ionic styled columns, it is one of the few remaining neo-classical styled buildings in HK. Having a long history of housing courts and government departments, the building has always represented law and order. To Hongkongers, the structure is a figure of solemnity. The building is currently being used as the HK Court of Final Appeal, the highest and most powerful court in HK, where final adjudications on law matters are carried out. As the building’s original appearance was kept and preserved while its function was changed, it is identified as being preserved by the method of rehabilitation. By this method, the building remained in use while its outlook was preserved and maintained. It continued housing government organizations instead of being left aside and deserted. This way, the aesthetic significance remains as there has only been some minor modification made to the original western architecture and it was otherwise well-preserved. In addition, the historic significance was sustained as well because the new functions of the building was adaptive, matching its historic background. Preservation of the building and the economic needs of the government managed to balance since the money used on preservation wouldn’t be wasted on a vacant, unused building. As it stays occupied, the government has one less unresolved concern (a government organization without an office) to address. On the other hand, using the method of rehabilitation may confuse citizen’s knowledge on the building’s history. As the function of the building changes continuously,